How to fix Samsung Galaxy S9 with “Unfortunately, Contacts has stopped” error (easy steps)

The error message “Unfortunately, Contacts has stopped” on your Samsung Galaxy S9 is actually a notification that the pre-installed contacts manager crashed for some reason. More often, this error is a result of a minor issue in the firmware or the app but there are times when this is a sign of a more serious problem. That’s the reason why you need to do some basic troubleshooting to be able to determine what the problem is all about and what needs to be done to fix it.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Galaxy S9 with “Contacts has stopped” error as well as those who have similar issues. The other variation of this problem is with Contacts closes immediately after opening it and there are also times when you can actually use it for a few minutes before it closes on its own. If you’re one of the owners of the Galaxy S9 and are currently bugged by a similar problem, continue reading as this article may help you fix it one way or another.

Before going further, if you found this post because you were trying to find a solution to your problem, then try to visit our Galaxy S9 troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed most of the commonly reported issues with the phone. We’ve already provided solutions to some of the problems reported by our readers so try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you and if you need further assistance, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit.

Fixing “Contacts has stopped” error on Galaxy S9

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The following are the solutions you can try to fix this problem. You may only have to do one procedure or two but if the problem persists after that, then proceed to troubleshooting the firmware of your Galaxy S9.

First solution: Reboot your phone (for first time occurrence)

If you haven’t encountered this problem before and it happened out of the blue without apparent reason or cause, then it might be just a minor glitch in the system. A reboot would be able to address it so hit that power key and restart your phone. After this, open Contacts to know if it still crashes. If it does, try doing the Forced Restart by pressing and holding the volume down and power keys together for 10 seconds or more.

This procedure simulates battery disconnect which refreshes your phone’s memory by closing and reloading all apps, services and core functions. If the problem continues after this, however, then move on to the next procedure.

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Second solution: Clear cache and data of Contacts app

By clearing the cache and data of the app, you’re actually resetting it and bringing it back to its default settings. The files that are deleted are then replaced with new ones. Most of the time, an app crashes because some of its caches and/or data files are corrupt and doing this procedure will fix the issue.

  1. From a Home screen, touch and swipe up or down to display all apps.
  2. From a Home screen, navigate: Settings > Apps.
  3. Tap App Manager.
  4. Locate then tap Contacts.
  5. Tap Storage.
  6. Tap CLEAR CACHE.
  7. Tap Cached data.
  8. Tap CLEAR.

If the problem continues to bug you after this, it’s time to go after the firmware.

Third solution: Delete the system caches

Just like clearing the cache and data of the app, deleting the system cache may also fix this problem since the firmware creates caches for individual cache in your phone including Contacts.

So, run your phone in recovery mode and wipe the cache partition so that all system caches will be replaced with new ones. Here’s how you do it:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the Android logo displays, release all three keys.
  4. An ‘Installing system update’ message will show for 30 – 60 seconds before the Android system recovery menu options appear.
  5. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight wipe cache partition.
  6. Press Power key to select.
  7. Press the Volume down key to highlight yes, them and press the Power key to select.
  8. When the wipe cache partition is complete, Reboot system now is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

If the problem still occurs after this, then you really have to do the next procedure.

Fourth solution: Master Reset

App-related problems can always be fixed by this procedure but you will have to spend a little more time making a backup of your important files and data as they will be deleted during the process.

After the backup, disable the Factory Reset Protection by removing your google account from your phone and then follow these steps to reset it:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  8. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

I hope that we’ve been able to help you with your problem one way or another. If you have other concerns you want to share with us, feel free to contact us or leave a comments below.

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